


Seven Black Crows

by Zenn



Category: Descendants (Disney Movies)
Genre: Basically the first movie, Beelzebub is the breakout star of this fic, Canon Divergence, Canon-Typical Violence, Carlos needs someone in his life that makes him happy, Everything Hurts, F/F, Fucked Up, Implied/Referenced Child Abuse, Implied/Referenced Rape/Non-con, Isle of the Lost (Disney), It Gets Worse Before It Gets Better, M/M, Now we deal with the aftermath, Sassy Carlos has arrived, Shameless use of animal for cuteness points, Spoiler...Carlos is a little pissed, Tumblr Prompt, a little bit, and is here to stay, and will just get sassier as time goes on, minus Carlos happened, nothing graphic
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-01-22
Updated: 2018-09-05
Packaged: 2019-03-08 06:53:02
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Rape/Non-Con, Underage
Chapters: 4
Words: 14,506
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13452825
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Zenn/pseuds/Zenn
Summary: "We will be bringing over more kids from the Isle of the Lost to live here in Auradon!"Carlos starts choking on his food, Gil stares dumbly at the screen, Harry drops the tray of chips he had been eating and Uma... Uma smiles like Christmas had just come early.





	1. There's a Fog From My Past That's Giving Me Such A Headache

It has been three days since he last ate.

Two since his last drink of water.

One since he last felt the sting of a fist, a cigarette, a heeled foot, a cane.

It has been One-Hundred-Ninety-Three days since he heard the last lie he will ever believe.

Carlos keeps himself sane by counting the time.

***

The sharp _clicking_ of high-heels on hardwood brings him back from unconsciousness. He struggles to his knees in the dark, a bruised—or is it broken?—rib impairing his movements. He just barely manages to prop himself in some semblance of an upright position against the wall, when the lock clicks and the door to the small closet is thrown open.

A tall figure wrapped in multiple furs towers in the doorway, Carlos struggles to make out the features of the figure due to the harsh light streaming in. Despite not being able to see properly, the figure is unmistakable.

It's in the way the figure holds itself, the way it's mere presence makes Carlos' skin crawl, and most of all its the fact that the figure is adorned in a plethora of furs—those damned furs. Carlos has spent a lifetime studying this figure, ways to please, ways to avoid it, ways to escape it.

Ha! As if. Carlos knows better, he learned that lesson long ago.

There is no escape.

There was a time, when Carlos had seen the smallest glimmer of hope pierce through the gloom of the isle, but that had been stamped out. That hope had been stamped out 163 days ago, and what took its place was cynicism, detachment, and spite. In the place of the once bright, youthful boy now was a hardened teenager.

It had been all their fault. No, no it was _his_. He made the foolish mistake of trusting them, putting his faith in them. He knew better than to trust _anyone_. He had seen the smallest sliver of a chance at companionship, and like the naive little boy that he was he had jumped at it. That would be a mistake that he would never make again.

_"Don't worry Carlos, we'll come back for you."_

_"Of course, we'll come back for him, don't be stupid."_

_"We wouldn't leave our favorite little scientist behind, now would we?"_

Their voices, laced with false sincerity, still rung in his head making him want to scream. Of course they had left him behind, who wouldn't? They had seen their chance to get away from the Isle, their shitty lives here, their even shittier parents, and _him_.

Thinking back on it, he was asinine to trust them in the first place. They had only ever befriended him to use him. Mal used him for his aptitude at schoolwork, Jay quickly realized his size was perfect for stealing, and Evie...well Evie just wanted someone to tell her she was pretty.

A forceful _crack_ sound draws him back into the present, and he belatedly feels the sting in his left cheek. He gently touches the bleeding gash on his cheek, and peers up at the woman he is supposed to call mother.

"What are you doing, laying about while you should be doing your chores?" she shrieks at him.

"You. Lazy. Ungrateful. Little. Shit," she continues, punctuating each viscous word with a kick, hit, or slap.

_I couldn't do the_ chores, _because you locked me in a closet!_ Carlos wants to scream back, but he has long since learned that responding only makes things worse. Much, _much_ worse.

So instead, Carlos gets up on shaky legs and slips past Cruella to start the tedious task of completing his "chores".

***

The sun has already set by the time Carlos is finishing the last of the tasks on his seemingly never-ending list of chores. He double-checks—and triple-checks—to make sure that every last detail is perfect, because there'll be hell to pay if anything is not up to Cruella's standards.

After his thorough inspection of all the rooms, he quietly slips his way out of the front door and into the cool night air. Carlos doesn't think he will ever get acclimated to the sense of freedom that the outdoors brings; and he surely never takes it for granted.

Carlos sticks to the edge of the island taking the long way to his destination as to avoid the marketplace; growing up on the Isle you learn quickly to avoid certain places past dusk, and the marketplace is unquestionably one of them.

It takes him an hour to reach the other side of the island, partly due to the fact he has to stop every ten minutes to calm the wheezing in his chest. When he rounds the corner to _Ursula's Fish and Chips_ the place is already bustling with activity. Carlos sighs, he's in for a long night.

***

Weaving his way through the many boisterous patrons of the crowded bar is difficult enough on an average night, tonight is made worse by the special occasion. Carlos had completely forgotten, and had he not come tonight would have not even noticed, that tonight is a grand celebration indeed. Well, a grand celebration for the pompous assholes over in Auradon that is.

Carlos is quickly reminded of that fact when he enters, and the TV positioned above the bar booms with the voice of the announcer. Snow—something or another, Carlos can't be bothered to remember her name—practically chirps out her excited announcement.

"Oh! Here they come now with Prince—I mean King! With _King_ Ben!"

Carlos glances up at the somewhat staticky television as he makes his way to the bar, and what he sees makes him wish he hadn't.

The bright, and once familiar, faces of ~~his friends~~ Mal, Evie, and Jay cover the screen. They're smiling, they look happy, they look clean and _healthy_ ; all things that they weren't here. For a fleeting moment Carlos is happy for them, happy that they are safe and cared for away from this hellhole of an island; however, that thought is rapidly pushed out of his mind when he remembers their betrayal.

As he finds an empty spot at the bar to sit, he gives one last scornful glare at the shoddy television wishing that he had never fixed it. However, if he had never fixed it, Uma wouldn't allow his presence here at all, so he guesses it's a small sacrifice to pay.

He contemplates throwing a fork at the TV and blaming it on one of the rowdy pirates filling the establishment, but before he has a chance to analyze how to get away with it, someone hurdles a big piece of glop—mashed potatoes?—at it.

Carlos watches as the food—or what passes for food on the Isle—slowly slides down the screen before landing with a _splat!_ behind the counter. His eyes dart around looking for the culprit before they land on aqua-colored braids.

Uma stands behind the counter, scowling at the now partially covered face of Mal. Harry saunters out from the kitchen, stopping to wipe some of the potato from the screen to eat. He sidles up next to Uma, glancing at her wrathful face, before turning his attention to the TV as well.

"I like what you've done with her. Don't cha think she looks better like this, pup?"

Carlos hates the pet name Harry insists on calling him, but knows that bringing it up again will only be met with ridicule from him. He just rolls his eyes in way of answer. Uma who had been so busy staring at the screen, turns to face Carlos, making him squirm a little in his seat. He loathes having someone's full attention on him, because it almost always results in pain.

"When did you decide to grace us with your presence?" her tone says cheerful, but her face says otherwise; her face says, _you're dead_.

"Missed me?" Carlos manages to retort, though he coughs for a solid ten seconds after.

"Where have you been?" she asks, dropping the faux cheeriness.

"In a closet, but I came out," he tries to joke, but given Uma's unimpressed look, it fell flat.

"How long," she questions, gently bringing her hand to ghost over the gash on his cheek that he'd forgotten about.

"Not even a full twenty-four hours, I don't think..." he replies trailing off. Truthfully, he doesn't know how long he had been in there. He had slipped into unconsciousness—a small comfort—and had lost all sense of time.

"You were gone for two days," Uma accuses, now glaring at Carlos.

"I've had worse," Carlos replies, not meeting her heated gaze.

Gil decides to make his enterance just then, much to Carlos' relief.

"Uma the stove isn't working again and—oh hi Carlos, nice to see ya—and I burned the clam chowder...again."

Carlos raises his hand in a lazy wave, dutifully ignoring Uma's hissed 'We aren't finished talking about this'.

"I think that's a job for you, Pup!" Harry merrily interjects when the silence gets too heavy and drawn-out. Carlos huffs, glaring at Harry before moving to slide off the barstool. Before he can get even an inch away a hand clutches his wrist, and Carlos hates himself for it but he flinches. He turns back to see Uma holding tightly onto him and feels relieved that it's just her, and terrified that it's _just_ her.

"Not so fast, pup. We might be pirates," she says as motions to Gil, "but we don't let our workers go hungry." Carlos must look shocked, because she adds, "Bad for morale."

Although to any outsider Uma's tone and body language scream disinterest, Carlos knows there's concern for his well-being hidden under all that apathy. Sometimes he thinks that he is making it all up again, going as insane as his mother already is; but as Uma turns her back on him, he sees the slightest look of pity.

And damn if that doesn't hurt. Out of all the hateful things his mother throws at him every day, both physically and verbally, pity always hurts the most. He might not be the strongest person on the Isle and he might be in a shitty situation with Cruella, but he is not a thing to be pitied. He makes the best out of a bad situation, same as anyone else on this worthless rock.

But if pity will get him protection from some of the people he's stuck sharing space with, then that's just something he will have to live with. For now.

"Here ya go 'los," Gil smiles, and for the first time tonight it's a genuine smile not like the curl of lips he gets from Harry and Uma. Gil sort of makes it worth it, he would even call him a friend if he still allowed himself to have friends.

Carlos smiles as Gil sets the tray of deep-fried fish in front of him, it smells like death, but Carlos knows better than to be picky about food on the Isle.

"You hurt yourself," Gil pouts, taking notice of Carlos' cheek, real concern coloring his words.

"I like to live life on the wild side," Carlos states, returning a genuine smile to Gil, who beams back. Harry snorts from beside Uma, "Yeah, real wild, eh?" he purrs giving Carlos a wink. Uma swats him.

"Shut up, I'm trying to listen to this," she hisses.

"Didn'tcha jus thra pertatoes a it," Carlos mumbles around the food he's shoveling into his mouth.

Uma shoots him a disgusted glare, and shoves Gil toward the TV throwing a rag at him.

"We can't take over Auradon if we don't learn their weaknesses, now can we pup?" she snaps.

Carlos puts up his hands in defense muttering, "Sorry," as they all turn their attention to the now cleaned off screen.

"-and now we go to King Ben and Mal for their special announcement!" that Snow chick exclaims as the screen pans to the right bringing Mal and what must be the boy "King" into view.

"Hello," the king—Ben—begins glancing at Mal, "we are very excited to be here tonight."

There's a pause, where Ben looks at Mal as if waiting for her to interject, but when she says nothing he continues.

"Right, so we are here to celebrate the integration of Mal, Evie, and Jay into Auradon, and to celebrate them becoming official residents here..." He pauses to smile at Mal and when she nods and smiles back he finishes with, "we will be bringing over more kids from the Isle of the Lost to live here in Auradon!"

Carlos starts choking on his food, Gil stares dumbly at the screen, Harry drops the tray of chips he had been eating and Uma... Uma smiles like Christmas had just come early.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Favorite Word of the Chapter~ [Plethora](https://www.google.com/search?q=plethora&ie=utf-8&oe=utf-8&client=firefox-b-1-ab)
> 
> All comments, questions, and constructive criticism welcome!


	2. Golden Ticket

"Carlos...Carlos! CARLOS!!"

 

The room is spinning, everything is too loud, and is that the...ceiling? Why is he staring at the ceiling?

 

Two big hands suddenly grab Carlos by the front of his shirt causing him to flinch and effectively snapping him back into reality.

 

Gil hauls him up from the sticky floor like he’s weightless and gently deposits him back onto the barstool he was occupying before...

Before.

 

"Did I...did I pass out?" he asks tentatively, looking around at the unimpressed look Uma is giving him, Harry feigning disinterest and a concerned Gil.

 

"You fell-" Uma starts, nonchalantly.

 

"Quite hilarious, pup," Harry interjects, receiving a smack on the back of the head from Uma.

 

"You fell," she restates, glaring at Harry, "after those Auradonian shits made their _little announcement_."

 

"Little announcement," Gil questions loudly drawing the attention of several rowdy patrons, "I thought that was pretty big news! Them inviting more of us to live among them and stuff."

 

Gil doesn’t notice the seething look Uma shoots his way, but he definitely takes notice when she cuffs him on the back of the head.

 

“Ow,” Gil pouts, rubbing the back of his head like she had actually done damage.

 

“Has my whole crew turned into a bunch of blundering morons,” she questions as she sweeps her gaze over the three boys, “where is CJ when I need her?”

 

“I believe ya sent her out ta pillage.”

 

“Yes, thank you, Harry. I didn’t realize that.”

  
Carlos would say that Uma’s eyes were going to roll right out of her head if he didn’t know that to be scientifically impossible.

 

Avoiding Uma’s seething gaze Carlos rubs the back of his throbbing head, hissing when his hand moves further up. He pulls his hand away, finding red tinted fingertips.  

 

"Are you bleeding?" Gil's voice sounds worried and way too loud. In fact, the whole place feels too loud, too cramped, too hot. Too much everything.

 

"Great, you're bleeding all over my floor, just what I needed tonight," Uma snaps, throwing a rag at Harry's head.

 

"What em I supposed ta do wit that?" Harry asks, sounding offended.

 

"Work for once in your pitiful life, Harry!"

 

"What? That's not fair, 's his blood!" Harry points his finger accusingly at Carlos, not unlike a toddler.

 

One glare from Uma has Harry's arguments dying in his throat, a dark smile creeping on to his face.

 

"Anything fer you, Captain," he coos as he hops over the counter to wipe at the bloodstain.

 

"That's more like it," she replies, her smile curling to match Harry's own.

 

Carlos’ head swims as he watches the pair’s rapid change in demeanor, still not used to how quickly Harry can change from a petulant five-year-old to a creepily obedient first mate.

 

"Finish your food," Uma snaps, turning her attention back to Carlos.

 

The sight of the slop on his plate is even more unappealing than before—if that's even possible—and the smell has his stomach lurching and head spinning. He forces himself to eat it anyway, though he can taste acid in the back of his throat. He knows better than to disobey Uma, besides who knows when he'll next be offered food.

 

As Carlos quickly finishes the rancid food, swallowing several times to keep it down, he lets his eyes wander through the overly packed bar.

 

The scene is the same as any other night if not a bit more crowded.

 

A rowdy group of pirates takes up one side of the bar, gambling away what meager money they have. Villains and their henchmen occupy the other half of the bar, several of them breaking into both verbal and physical fights over one thing or another.

 

The back of the bar, in the darkest corner, the seediest inhabitants of the isle drink quietly not partaking in the gambling or the fighting—for they have come here seeking something else entirely.

 

Carlos lets his gaze linger in the dark corner of the bar, eventually making eye contact with a particularly gnarly looking pirate, a sinister smile making its way to the man's’ face when Carlos doesn’t shy away but instead maintains eye contact.

 

"I, I have to go to work..." Carlos trails off, uncomfortable when he feels Uma's heated gaze on the back of his head.

 

Harry suddenly gains interest in their discussion again, while Gil avoids eye contact visibly uncomfortable with the mention of Carlos' "work".

"You know," Uma growls out, "that I do not sanction that kind of _work_ in my establishment."

 

Carlos does not point out the fact that technically it is her mom's establishment, he might be socially awkward but he's not suicidal.

 

"Gotta make a living somehow," Carlos tries to joke, knowing before it leaves his mouth that no will find it funny. Nobody ever appreciates his sense of humor. "Not like you're going to pay me," he stupidly mumbles under his breath.

 

"What was that?" The heat in Uma's eyes is hot enough to rival the damn sun and Carlos struggles not to wither under it.

 

"I said I'll fix the stove when I'm done with... my other obligations."

 

"Did I not just tell you that I will _not_ tolerate that shit in here!"

 

"Technically it's behind your establishment, not in it," Carlos quips hopping off the barstool and making his way to the back door.

 

He knows that Uma will let him go without glancing back just like he knows tall, dark, and creepy is following him with bated breath.

 

He barely makes it to the doorway, hand twisting the doorknob, when Uma's voice rings out loud and clear.

 

"Oh, pup! You know just after you passed out they announced what miserable saps they're hauling over to Auradon next."

 

After pausing for dramatic effect, and so that she's certain she has Carlos' attention, Uma spits out.

 

"Looks like the four of us will be packing our bags, we leave Sunday."

 

Carlos is sure he would have passed out again if it weren’t for the sudden hand gripping him on the back of the neck, manhandling him into the alley with urgent desire.

 

***

 

_We leave Sunday. Pack your bags. We leave Sunday._

 

He can’t get her damned words to stop ringing in his head. They play over and over again in a demented loop, mocking him and driving him closer to insanity.

 

They leave in three days. Three more days and he’ll never have to set foot on this godforsaken rock again. Three more days and he’ll never have to see his mother again. Three more days and he’ll never have to get down on his knees again. Three more days.

 

Six months ago he would have been on cloud nine, high on excitement and anticipation, but six months ago he didn’t know the sting of betrayal.

 

Three days until he has to see them again. Three days until he has to live among entitled princes and princesses who will no doubt look down their noses at him. Three days until his whole world will change forever. Three days until-

 

“Heeey puppy.”

 

Carlos flinches, internally cursing Harry for popularizing the demeaning nickname that everyone on the isle insists on calling him these days. He turns his—hopefully—seducing gaze onto the burly pirate stumbling up to him. As the man draws nearer Carlos quickly takes in his rancid breath and drunken stupor.

 

Carlos was planning on being done for the night, already sore from the countless other people who had wandered their way into the alley seeking his attention, but the man crowds his easy exit from the alleyway. Besides, Carlos tells himself that it will be easy money if the half-empty bottle of rum the man continues to chug from, as he attempts to pat down Carlos’ unruly curls, is anything to go by.

 

Pushing aside his problems for the task at hand, Carlos does his best to use a sultry voice as he gazes up at the man and asks, “What’ll it be Sweetheart?”

 

***

 

Packing, if you could even call it that, had taken Carlos all of two minutes. When he gets home Thursday night he throws his notebooks, spare jacket, and one of his small gadgets into a bag. As much as it pains him, Carlos knows that he can’t bring all the machines that he has spent countless hours on from his treehouse over to Auradon. Carlos settles for bringing over the most important one; a small device, roughly the size of a lunchbox.

 

After gathering his meager belongings he creeps silently into the kitchen, retrieving a black trash bag he deftly shoves his things inside and ties it closed. With great caution, he opens the creaky back door and stashes his bag in the wilted rhododendron next to the back patio.

 

With his things packed and hidden out of his mother’s sight, Carlos returns to his makeshift bed and feels something akin to relief wash over him as he quickly falls into a dreamless slumber.

 

                        ***

 

Waking up to screeching is something you grow accustomed to on the Isle, especially when you live with someone as batshit as Cruella.

 

Carlos groans as he rolls over, quickly scrambling backward when he almost rolls directly into a bear trap. As he pulls himself up from the floor wincing at the sore feeling in his… everywhere, he hears it again, long and shrill and all too familiar.

 

“ _Caaarlooooooos_! Get in here you insolent brat!”

 

“Today’s going to be a _fantastic_ day,” he mumbles to himself sarcastically as he slinks past the kitchen and into the parlor where his mother angrily paces from one side of the room to the other.

 

No matter how quiet Carlos is Cruella seems to have a sixth sense for his presence. He barely makes it into the room before she’s turning on him, face twisted in disgust.

 

“I left the money on the kitchen counter last night,” Carlos tries, hoping to diffuse the situation before it gets worse.

 

It’s then that Carlos notices the crumpled paper held tightly in Cruella’s fist. Not the tainted stationery of the Isle, no the stationery Cruella has a death grip on is bright white and pristine. Upon further inspection, Carlos can also make out the flawless golden script that screams _Auradon_.

 

Carlos’ stomach does a flip as he realizes that she hasn’t woken him up screaming about a late payment again but something else entirely, something much _much_ worse.

 

Carlos briskly turns to dash out of there, but Cruella has always been quick even in her old age and she has perfected her aim over the years. Carlos makes it just past the doorway before he feels the impact of the glass bottle and the subsequent shattering.

 

His head wound from the previous night reopens as the glass shatters against his skull, the impact making him trip and fall landing directly in the glass. He braces his hands on the floor to avoid further injury to his head, wincing as his hands are cut up by the jagged glass shards. He scrambles to his feet as his vision swims and he sways on shaking legs.

 

He makes it to the kitchen before Cruella catches up to him. She grabs him by the neck and yanks him backward to throw him into the counter. A sickening crack sound reverberates throughout the house as Carlos’ left cheek makes contact with the sharp corner of the wooden countertop.

 

He topples to the floor again as his eyes unfocus and black spots dance across his field of vision, unconsciousness threatening to consume him. Carlos battles the desire to collapse into a heap on the floor, if he can just make it out of here he’s home free; quite literally.

 

He waits until she’s looming right above him with her defenses down, thinking she has won yet again, to make his strike. He kicks her left kneecap as hard and fast as he can, jumping right over her as she crumples to the floor screeching in shock and anger.

 

He wastes no time as he makes a swift exit out the back door grabbing his stowed bag before dashing across the backyard and out into the winding streets of the isle. He does his best to suppress the fear that creeps up his spine as he hears that shrill voice scream his name from far off behind him, instead focusing on weaving his way through the early morning marketplace crowd.

 

***

 

Sunday comes too quickly.

Sunday doesn’t come quickly enough.

 

Ever since his encounter with Cruella, Uma had granted him asylum on the _Jolly Roger_ with the condition that he help fix things around the place. He stayed out of view, just in case Horace and Jasper came sniffing around, working on repairs below the deck or above deck only during the cover of night.

 

There were both upsides and downsides to spending all his time among Uma’s crew, and these two days with them reminded him why he hadn’t run away from Cruella sooner. Due to the seemingly endless list of problems around the ship and the shop, Carlos was kept busier than Cruella ever had him with her list of chores. Harry was a nuisance on a regular basis but with Carlos around 24/7 to harass and belittle, it just got increasingly worse. Two days, Carlos had to remind himself, two days and then he wouldn’t have to put up with the constant work and criticism.

 

Besides, Uma banned him from doing any more work behind the shop and since he no longer had to bring home money to please his mother it was now unnecessary anyway. The biggest, and best, perk of staying with the pirates was he got to spend his nights on the floor of Gil’s room. The room was kept warm, unlike the drafty closet he typically slept in and Gil even gave him one of his soft blankets to curl up into.

 

Sunday morning Carlos wakes with a start to insistent knocking followed by an all-too-familiar gruff voice.

 

“Gil, pup, get yar asses up and moving. The fancy limo thing is due here in less than an hour.”

 

Carlos bolts upright as he hears Harry’s familiar stride fade into the distance, looking to his left he notices Gil groggily do the same.

 

Gil has a half-asleep smile on his face as he mumbles, “Today’s the day ‘los.”

 

***

 

Carlos stands in the town square with Uma and Harry talking quietly on his right and Gil excitedly bouncing in place to his left. As Carlos watches the sun start to peek up from the East he feels unease creep all around him at the quiet stillness that is forever rare on the isle.

 

Five-thirty is too early for gang activity yet too late for sexual activity, so most people are either passed out in back alleys due to the activities from the previous night or they have yet to begin their troublemaking of the day. It seems as if they are the only four residents up and moving at this hour.

 

“Why are they picking us up so early,” Carlos asks no one in particular.

 

He remembers that the other three were picked up in broad daylight, the whole isle of residents were present to send them off. If he tries hard enough he can still picture it, the pristine limo—so out of place among the filth of the isle—pulling into the town square. He can still hear the excited murmurs of the crowd and the stern voices of the parents instructing their children on how to get the wand and free the isle. He can still picture the tears that Evie refused to let fall as she hugged Carlos for the last time, the set to Jay’s jaw as he squeezed all the breath out of Carlos’ frail body in his version of a hug, the scoff that Mal used to cover up her own gloom at the situation. Of course, looking back, Carlos knows that weren’t truly sad at their departure. It was all an act, an act that Carlos had fallen for, but not again. Never again.

 

Carlos snaps out of his angry memories as Uma scoffs at his question.

  
“They didn’t want to make a whole ordeal out of our departure like they did last time. Didn’t you read the letter pup?”

 

Right, the letter.

  
Carlos looks down at his bandaged hands and hopes, not for the first time, that Cruella hadn’t looked closely at that letter. He, not-so-discreetly, glances around the shadowy streets of the isle and jumps when he notices the shadow of a person heading their way.

 

“Guys…”

 

“What now? Do you have more stupid questi-”

 

Uma cut herself short as she turns and follows Carlos’ line of sight, spotting the shadow as well; Gil squeaks when he notices it and Harry draws his hook.

 

“Come out, come out lil one,” Harry darkly coos to the shadow, sinister smirk plastered to his face.

 

The shadow stops all movement at his words and pauses for several long seconds before a mess of orange hair accompanied by pink glasses pokes around the corner.

 

“Dizzy?”

 

“Hi Carlos,” comes the small reply as the young girl stays half hidden in the dark alleyway.

 

Carlos follows her gaze to where it is locked onto Harry’s raised hook held menacingly in his left hand waiting to swing down. Carlos walks over and swats it out of Harry’s hand, hiding his smirk when Harry gives him a dumbfounded look as the hook clatters along the cobblestone.

 

“What was tat for?” Harry whines as he bends down to retrieve his treasured hook.

 

“Stop scaring the little girl,” Dizzy huffs bitterly at his words but Carlos shoots her a look and continues addressing Harry, “besides you know that we aren’t allowed to bring weapons with us to Auradon.”

 

Harry meets him with a Cheshire cat smile as he stands back up and tucks his hook back inside his long coat, “What are those Auradonian pricks gonna do, give me a pat-down? Maybe a strip-search? Betcha’d like tat, wouldn’t cha pup?”

 

“Knock it off, Harry,” Uma states with a swat to his head, “What are _you_ doing here Tremaine?”

 

Dizzy blushes as all four of the teenagers’ attention return to her. She had moved all the way out of the alleyway as they bickered but she looks as if she wants to run right back in now.

 

“I...I’m supposed to be… here,” Dizzy stutters as she produces a familiar white envelope from her purse, a gold embellished _Dizzy_ scrawled onto the front.

 

“Let me see that.” Uma snatches the invitation out of her hand, quickly scanning it before grinning. “That’s right Tremaine, I forgot little Evie had a soft spot for you. Wonder what she had to do to swing this one.”

 

Dizzy glares at Uma at the mention of Evie’s name, and secretly Carlos wishes he could do the same.

 

Choosing to ignore Uma’s attempt at provocation, Carlos instead addresses Dizzy as he asks, “Aren’t you a little young to be attending Auradon Prep?”

 

“I am fourteen Carlos,” she huffs, “I’m not a little girl anymore.”

 

The sound of an approaching car cuts off any reply Carlos would have given as everybody's attention snaps to the street. As the other three teenagers are distracted by the shiny limousine pulling up, Carlos feels a tug on his sleeve and looks down to see Dizzy.

 

“Look I’m sorry I called you a little girl-”

 

Dizzy stops him with a wave of her hand, glancing over at the group of pirates to make sure they aren’t paying any attention before whispering to Carlos.

 

“Look, I know your cat-”

 

“Beelzebub?”

 

“-right, Beelzebub. I know Beelzebub means a lot to you, so I smuggled him here.”

 

Carlos looks around a little frantically until Dizzy smacks him on the arm and points to the alleyway she had come out of.

 

“Thanks, Dizzy,” Carlos mumbles back as he practically runs over to the alleyway.

 

He quickly finds Beelzebub among a stack of soggy cardboard and he scoops her up and strokes her as she nuzzles him and purrs contently.

 

“I thought Cruella had finally gotten to you buddy, where have you been?”

 

Beelzebub only answers with a loud yowl as she stretches to get more comfortable in Carlos’ hold. Carlos adjusts her and covers her with his jacket as he hears the limousine come to a stop outside the alleyway. He ignores the questioning glance he gets from Uma as he helps load their suitcases in the trunk. He throws his garbage bag on top and they all start to pile into the backseat.

 

Nobody notices how the driver stares at the tail hanging out of Carlos’ jacket or his muttered, “Weird fucking isle kids” as he drives them towards their future.

  


**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Favorite Word of the Chapter~ [Rhodendron](https://www.google.com/search?client=firefox-b-1-ab&ei=foJfW5beHMHZ9APCqZ_ADQ&q=rhododendron+definition&oq=rhodendron+def&gs_l=psy-ab.1.0.0i10k1l2j0i22i30k1l5.39956.41398.0.42325.4.4.0.0.0.0.266.472.3j0j1.4.0....0...1c.1.64.psy-ab..0.4.471....0.3belxLZEXpg-ab)
> 
> All comments, questions, and constructive criticism welcome!


	3. Bibbidi Bobbidi Boo

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I feel like this chapter is kinda weak, but I wanted to get it published, so enjoy...

A golden road takes them to their future and Carlos thinks it’s poetic.

 

And by poetic what he really means is predictable of those pretentious assholes over in Auradon to literally have a road made out of gold.

 

I mean they actually have a road materialize out of thin air bridging together Auradon and the Isle. If they go to such extreme lengths to make a magical, golden bridge to a place they have been a grand total of once in the 20 years since its making Carlos wonders what Auradon itself will be like.

 

Carlos ponders the possibility of replicating—and improving upon—the golden bridge design but quickly realizes that it’s probably just the workings of Auradonian magic. The more he examines the glimmering bridge the more certain he is that it is simply the use of magic, something he’s heard that Auradon has in excess.

 

As the limo takes the group of villains farther from the Isle Carlos glances out the limo’s window and takes notice of the sea beneath them. The farther they get from the grime of the Isle the clearer the water becomes. While the water surrounding the Isle is thick and murky with garbage and evil knows what else, the stretch of water that is now below them appears to be a clean, sparkling blue. As the sun rises over the horizon it paints the sea with brilliant orange and pink highlights. Carlos stares in awe at the beautiful expanse of the calming waves, lost in thoughts of what clean drinking water is going to taste like until Harry throws an arm around his shoulders.

 

“She’s a beaut ain’t she,” Harry asks as he pulls Carlos tightly into his side.

 

“What?” Carlos looks up at Harry from his poor vantage point, practically crammed into Harry’s armpit, however, Harry isn’t looking at him but instead out at the vast sea below them.

 

“The ocean, the true ocean, she’s everything dad said she’d she be.”

 

“Well, actually, that is technically the sea, not the ocean. A lot of people think those two terms are interchangeable when in reality the difference between them is…”

 

Carlos trails off as Harry shoots him a loathful look, squeezing him farther into his side as he goes back to gazing at the expansive body of water.

 

“Ya really do ruin everything don’t cha, pup?”

 

“So I’ve been told.”

 

Harry releases Carlos, snickering at him as he sidles back up to Uma who glances over at Carlos with a mixed expression of pity and amusement, making him duck his head in embarrassment.

 

He has these moments, these tiny little moments, where Harry seems normal or Uma is nice to him and he forgets. He forgets these people aren’t his friends, they’re in a purely professional relationship, mutually beneficial to both parties.

 

Carlos has a total of three different kinds of relationships with people: mutually beneficial associates, people to avoid, and people you never say no to.

 

Most of the Isle falls into the ‘people to avoid’ category since most people either want to harass him, exploit him, or hurt him. His mother and a select few clients fall into the ‘people you never say no to’ category, for obvious reasons. Uma and her gang are the only ones who fall into the first category.

 

There was a brief time in Carlos’ life where he had created a fourth category of human relationships: friends. He quickly learned that fourth categories were meant for naive children and those fake people in discarded Auradonian magazines and he had since outgrown the fourth category; Carlos didn’t like to dwell on when he had let himself believe in the possibility of the fourth category.

 

A rumbling purr emitting from the lump of fur rested on his chest pulls Carlos out of his thoughts and he reaches down to scratch Beelzebub on the chin, making the purring intensify. As he strokes Beelzebub from head to toe he lets himself count to one in his head, one friend, seeing as Beelzebub is not human he supposes he’ll allow himself this one exception to the rule.

 

“Hey ‘los,” Gil suddenly whispers from his side.

 

“Yeah, Gil.” Carlos turns to look at Gil earning a small smile from him.

 

“What _is_ the difference between the ocean and the sea?”

 

Carlos smiles, almost allowing himself to count to two in his head.

 

***

 

The limo pulls up to what must be the most ostentatious set of buildings Carlos has ever seen in his life. Of course, he should have been expecting the absolute abundance and exhibition of wealth that the school gives off, he had after all seen the same building on TV multiple times but to see it on a 9-inch screen and in real life were two completely different experiences.

 

Calling the buildings that surround them castles doesn’t seem to do them justice, especially since Carlos has seen his fair share of castles or what passes for castles on the Isle. Nobody back on the Isle had a house or business that looked anything like what was before them, much less Carlos’ old school. Hell, he used to go to school in a literal dungeon, so he supposes anything is an upgrade from that.

 

Carlos startles when the front door of the limo shuts with a thump signaling that the driver has exited and Carlos glances back to see that the rest of his group is already exiting the limo. He scurries to join them, tucking Beelzebub back into his jacket as he goes. Carlos goes around the back of the limo to collect his bag from the limo driver, flushing slightly when the man gives him a weird look as he hands him the trash bag.

 

“Thanks,” he mumbles, gaining him a glare from Uma.

 

After the last bag is unloaded the driver promptly closes the trunk, gets back into the limo, and drives off. The group of five watch him drive off, faces ranging from irritation to confusion to sorrowful.

 

“Well, what the fuck are we supposed to do now?”

 

Everybody turns their gaze to Uma as she stands with one hand on her hip, watching the limo in the far distance, irritation coming off her in waves.

 

“Drink, pillage, plunder?”

 

A small smile forms on Uma’s lips as Harry proudly flashes all his teeth at her.

 

“I like the way you think, Harry.”

 

Harry practically beams under the praise as Uma reaches up to ruffle his hair, causing the other three to look away in embarrassment or disgust.

 

“Uh, hey guys,” Carlos mutters drawing the reluctant attention of everyone else.

 

“What is it, pup? If ya hadn’t noticed we were havin a moment,” Harry snarls, glaring over at Carlos. Carlos points his finger to behind the group and everyone’s gaze follows to the castle behind them.

 

A golden-haired boy—that Carlos instantly recognizes as King Ben—and a raven-haired girl walk out the castle doors, identical pleasant smiles plastered on their faces. The group of five villains stand awkwardly on the road where the limo deposited them, not moving. The king and his dark-haired companion stop just short of them and for a while neither group so much as moves or makes a noise, Carlos doesn’t think Dizzy is even breathing at this point.

 

After a while the duo makes the first move, stepping even closer to the group. Carlos has to fight to not back up as the two get within reaching distance of the villains and out of the corner of his eye he can see Dizzy having the same struggle. Harry and Uma don’t have the same problem, instead they take a step forward meeting the duo head on. Gil is the middleman, neither resisting the urge to step back nor stepping forward, instead he takes a half step to the side effectively blocking Carlos from everyone, and Carlos knows he should feel insulted by that but honestly he feels relieved. Carlos notes that this is starting to feel a lot like a twisted game of chess; two pawns move forward, two more meeting them head-on, one knight steps to the side guarding, wait does that make Carlos the Queen?

 

The boy king is the first to speak, breaking the intense silence with his annoyingly joyful voice.

“Hello, welcome to Auradon! It is so good to finally meet you all. I am Pr- King Ben and this is Lonnie,” he says gesturing to the raven-haired girl who in turn gives them a practiced smile and polite wave.

 

“We are all so excited to have you all here and we can’t wait to-”

 

“How many times did you practice this in your mirror this morning?” Uma questions, cutting off Ben as she examines her nails like she couldn’t care less.

 

“I’m sorry, what?” Ben has gone tomato red in the face, completely thrown off by being interrupted and Carlos wonders if this is the first time in his life that it has happened to him.

 

“This little speech, heartwarming as it is,” Uma grasps her chest in faux sentiment causing Harry to grin, “has obviously been practiced many, _many_ times. Are you nervous, your majesty?” The purr that Uma has to her tone sets Carlos on edge because he knows exactly what that tone means.

 

“Oh, uh, I...It’s just Ben, not, you don’t have to call me that I mean. Ben, Ben is fine.”

 

“Well, just Ben, were we not important enough for you?” At Ben’s confused and somewhat mortified expression, Uma takes a step forward as she continues tormenting the innocent boy. “As I recall, there was a grand celebration when Mal and her little gang arrived yet I look around now and all I see is this welcome party of… _two_. So, are we not _high status_ _enough_ to draw a bigger crowd?”

 

Ben appears to have lost the ability to speak as he looks from Uma to the other villains as if they are going to save him from Uma’s wrath. Uma takes delight in the effect she has on the king and she frowns when Lonnie swats Ben lightly on the arm and steps slightly forward to take the lead.

 

“You are absolutely correct... Uma is it?” Uma scowls at Lonnie’s confidence and nonchalance over the situation, thrown off by her ease at controlling the conversation where others would normally cower at Uma’s feet.

 

“Yeah, Uma’s the name, don’t wear it out.” Harry snickers slightly from behind Uma as she replies to Lonnie but one look over her shoulder silences Harry.

 

“Pleasure to meet you Uma, I’m Lonnie. You are correct, when Mal, Jay, and Evie arrived we welcomed them with a grand celebration but unfortunately, that was not very well received at all. You see we overwhelmed them quite a bit with the abundance of people and all the loud music, quite a culture shock we realize now. We decided to take a simpler approach this time around, based off of Mal’s advice, as to not overwhelm the five of you.”

 

When Lonnie explains it like that it makes perfect sense to Carlos and honestly he is grateful that there is not a bunch of people or loud noises to worry about, he doesn’t think he could handle that right now… or ever…

 

But Uma is clearly not happy with that explanation, especially since it was Mal’s idea or maybe just because it was Mal’s idea.

 

“Of course, of course,” Uma gushes and Carlos can’t help but smirk a little at the amount of sass dripping off her words. “I mean, _we_ ,” she sighs dramatically grabbing onto Harry with one arm and Dizzy with the other, “are just so grateful to _be here_ in your _beautiful_ country and I just don’t know if we could have handled it if there was any more excitement today!”

 

Ben looks like he’s about to sweat right through his suit and Lonnie’s smile is so forced at this point her face looks as if it might be stuck that way forever.

 

Uma squeezes Dizzy and Harry closer against her, not dropping eye contact with Lonnie.

“Right, guys?”

 

“Right, captain!”

“Yep!”

“Wait I thought we weren’t excited to be here?”

“Of course!”

 

“Well, now that we have that covered, why don’t we show you around your new school and get you situated in your dorms!” Lonnie’s voice is clipped with forced cheeriness and she’s already eyeing Uma with distrust.

 

Great first impression they’ve made!

 

***

 

“So this is the boy's dormitory. Gil, Harry, you’ll be bunking together in this dorm, Carlos you’ll be in the next room over.” Ben glides down the hallway gesturing to rooms with practiced ease, looking every bit the ruler he comes across as on TV.

 

He is obviously calmer now with Uma gone, Carlos had practically watched the tension drain out of Ben when Lonnie had suggested taking the girls to their dorms while Ben showed the boys theirs—and honestly, nobody can blame the poor guy, Uma just has that effect on people. Unfortunately for Ben neither him nor Lonnie accounted for Harry Hook.

 

“No fair,” Harry dramatically pouts causing Ben to turn back to look at the three of them, apprehension already evident on his face. “Why does the puppy get his own room?”

 

Harry grabs Carlos by the back of the neck and drags him to the front as if to show Ben exactly who he’s talking about. No amount of hitting his arm makes Harry loosen his death grip so Carlos settles for scowling until Harry gets his answer. Beelzebub, sensing Carlos’ tension, decides to make her presence known with a loud, exasperated yowl.

 

“Are you okay, Carlos?” Ben’s voice carries true concern, a sentiment that deeply bothers Carlos but before he is able to answer Ben’s dumbass question Harry interjects.

 

“Ah, ta lad is fine, jus a lil light teasing and an upset stomach is all.” Carlos is begrudgingly grateful for the lie that Harry told for him but his gratefulness is short lived as Harry shakes him a by the neck as if that is going to prove his point. “Ain’t that right pup?”

 

“I’m _fine_.” Carlos’ words carry so much venom in them he’s pretty sure he sees the king flinch away from him slightly but he doesn’t care enough to tell the boy that the animosity he is displaying isn’t directed at him.

 

“Right, um, well…” Carlos sighs as Ben starts to lose the ability to speak yet again.

 

Ben for his part is quicker on the uptake this time and rapidly rights himself into his King Stance, the one he always uses on TV, to address Harry.

 

“Right, well, to answer your question Carlos has his own room because there are only two beds per room and there is an odd amount of you so one of you has to bunk alone. Sorry, that’s just the way it is.” Ben puffs his chest out a fraction causing Harry to narrow his eyes at the challenge.

 

“Well, ya see here yar highness, my good lad Gil snores quite loudly in his sleep so I think it’d be best fer the all of us if Carlos and I bunked together. Gil can have the spare.” Harry flashes all his teeth in what is supposed to be a smile but comes across more like a wolf baring its teeth.

 

“I don’t snore,” Gil pouts at Harry.

 

“How would ya know Gil, yar asleep when it happens?”

 

“Oh…”

 

Ben looks at the three of them as if they are a difficult puzzle he is desperately trying to solve and honestly Carlos can’t help but feel as if he is in the same boat.

 

“No, I’m sorry it’s against school policy to simply trade rooms with other people. You’ll have to submit an official Dormitory Transference Form with the school administration.” Ben has gained back all his confidence and Carlos is starting to see the king that he tries so hard to be shine through.

 

Harry looks at him as if he is speaking another language, face twisted in irritated befuddlement, and Carlos revels in it. Carlos also uses this opportunity to sneak past his two companions to where Ben is standing outside his door.

 

“This one’s mine, right?” Ben gives him a small nod accompanied by an irritatingly nice smile.

 

“Okay, if there’s nothing else I’ll just be getting a jumpstart on settling in.”

 

Ben nods again before handing Carlos a piece of paper explaining “This is your class schedule,” and Carlos mumbling back a hurried “Thanks”.

 

The last thing he hears before he shuts his door is Harry mumbling, “Now wait a goddamn minute.”

 

***

 

“We could turn Mal’s hair seaweed green… or give Jay a mohawk… or, or make Evie bald!”

 

Uma huffs from where she lays sprawled out on her bed, leg reaching out to kick Gil in the back of the head.

 

“Think bigger Gil!”

 

Harry looks over at Gil from his position on a chair, legs annoyingly propped on Carlos’ back but he supposes he asked for it when he decided to lay on the floor.

 

“Gil, lad, why do all yer plans involve hair?”

 

Gil shifts on the floor, a small frown on his face. “I dunno, they all seem to strongly identify with their hair.”

 

“Mal don’t identify wit her locks enough to not bleach ta shit of them,” Harry mumbles causing Carlos to chuckle on the floor. He stopped fully paying attention a half hour ago when they started this stupid discussion but even he has to admit that was funny.

 

“Enough talk about hair!” Uma fumes, sitting up on her bed and glaring at the three of them. Dizzy glances up from her new phone, taking one earbud out to look at them.

 

“Did I say you could participate in this conversation,” Uma snarkily questions, not even glancing in Dizzy’s direction. Dizzy immediately crams the earbud back in with a squeak and turns over on her bed to face away from the rest of them.

 

“That’s better. Now,” Uma swings her legs over the bed and paces over to her desk where a bunch of papers are laid out, “all of you dimwits are thinking too small. We are not here to play petty pranks on a bunch of cockroaches from our past, I’m not interested in mere revenge.” Uma makes a point of stopping in front of Carlos, her boot almost crushing the wires on the project he is currently working on.

 

Carlos sighs and looks up at Uma, “So, what’s the plan?”

 

The smile she gives him would make most people’s hearts wither up and die but Carlos has become accustomed to her strange ways so he just returns the show of teeth.

 

“I’m glad someone finally asked.” Uma continues her pacing, which is never a good sign but Carlos supposes with Uma there are no good signs. “We’re going to steal the wand.”

 

“Wha-at?”

“I love the way you think, Captain!”

“What’s a wand?”

 

Uma smiles as she continues her pacing, to the desk, by the bed, past Carlos, to the door, and back again. Carlos would almost appreciate the rhythmic repetitiveness of it if it weren’t for the bomb she just dropped on them.

 

“Okay, okay no.” Carlos shoves Harry’s offending legs off of his back in order to push himself off the floor, making direct eye contact with Uma. “That’s insane Uma, even for you!”

 

Uma’s lips just curl into a bigger smile, taking Carlos’ words as a compliment instead of the blatant insult that they are meant to be.

 

“We, we don’t even _know_ where the wand is! And even if we did there is no way that Auradon is going to let a ragtag group of villainous children get their hands on it a second time!” Carlos splutters trying, and failing, to defuse the situation.

 

“A second time?” Gil questions, getting up to rejoin the conversation.

 

“Yes, Gil, _a second time_ .” Uma’s smile hasn’t gone away, in fact, it has intensified which is cause for much concern. “You see Mal and her little gang tried to get the wand themselves when they came over, even succeeded in doing so, but then instead of following through with their plan like any true villain would do they gave up, chose _good_ . Which leads us to where we are today, with those three goodie-goodies playing the role of _reformed villains_. Enter the four of us as the real villains, the ones who will succeed in our plan for the wand.”

 

“And what exactly do you plan on doing with the wand if we obtain it? Letting out all the people of the Isle? Mass destruction of Auradon? Overthrowing the throne?” Carlos has become a tad hysterical as he questions Uma, he has finally found a real home and he’s not about to let it all go to shit for a half-assed plan of world domination.

 

Uma steps closer to Carlos until she’s chest to chest with him, making Carlos distantly thankful for the growth spurt that made him taller than her, eyes expressing a myriad of bad emotions.

 

“Releasing the entire Isle, overthrowing the throne, mass destruction of Auradon; that was all Mal’s plan. I’m not that _stupid_ . When _I_ get the wand, and trust me I _will_ get that wand, I will release all the people that we left behind in that hellhole.” Uma arches an eyebrow at Carlos causing his heart rate to soar, he nods shakily eyes unable to leave hers.

 

She spins and paces back to the desk to examine the papers laid out, leaving Carlos looking at the floor like a chastised child.

 

“Oh and Carlos.” His head whips up to look at her but she still has her back turned to him. “Don’t you _ever_ mistake me for her again.”

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Favorite Word of the Chapter~ Ostentatious
> 
> All comments, questions, and constructive criticism welcome!


	4. Remedial Goodness and Reunions

Carlos wakes with a start, a scream caught in his throat as the images from his nightmare fade into the darkness.

 

He jerkily glances around taking in his surroundings as he tries to calm his breathing and he quickly realizes that he is not in his room. The place he is in is shrouded in darkness and he can’t figure out if he passed out in Gil’s room again or possibly a back alley.

 

The floor he is on is hard and he has to untangle himself from the blanket that has managed to nearly suffocate him in his sleep.

 

He stumbles in the darkness looking for something familiar but wherever he is he’s certain he has never been here before. He finds a bed and his heart drops as the realization that he went home with someone hits him. As he carefully and quietly feels around some more in the dark he is confused by how soft everything around him is, whoever’s house he is in is rich… which could be good or very, very bad.

 

He makes his way to the what he hopes is the window and throws back the ornate drapes. The sun has yet to rise but Carlos can still make out miles of lush green grass and perfectly manicured gardens.

 

Carlos briskly shuts the drapes and turns around to glance around the room again, truly taking it in now that his brain has fully woken up and he has shaken off his nightmare-induced anxiety. He takes a deep breath as he slumps to the floor, finally realizing where he is.

 

Of all the places he has randomly woke up in, he’s glad it is finally somewhere he feels relatively safe.

 

Carlos rubs the sleep out of his eyes as he reaches over to check the time on his new phone, and it doesn’t go unnoticed by him how attached to the damn thing he already is. He rubs his face again as he reads 4:30 and decides he might as well stay awake since he usually wakes up around this time anyway.

 

A muffled yowl to his right startles Carlos and he slowly gets up and moves away from the noise. Another yowl emits from the drapes that spill onto the floor and Carlos grabs a book, wielding it above his head ready to strike as the drapes rustle some more with movement.

 

A big, furry thing springs out from behind the drapes and Carlos nearly throws the book right at it but before he can it trots over to him, affectionately rubbing against his leg. Carlos sighs and lets the book fall onto his bed as he sits back down to let Beelzebub climb into his lap.

 

Beelzebub contently purrs as Carlos strokes her, stretching out and yawning across his lap.

 

“You scared me buddy,” he tells her. She looks up at him with pondering eyes and lets out a loud meow in return.

 

After a while Carlos’ arm gets tired of the repetitive motion and Beelzebub lets out a mournful yowl as Carlos moves to get up.

 

“I gotta shower buddy, you can’t join me.”

 

Beelzebub meows loudly in protest, getting up to follow Carlos in defiance.

 

Carlos moves around his room in the dark with practiced quietness, already having mentally mapped out which floorboards squeak; Beelzebub pads after him with the same hushed movements. Beelzebub is thoroughly perturbed when Carlos makes his way to the bathroom and promptly shuts the door right in her face. She retaliates by dragging his pillow under his bed.

 

Carlos spends the next twenty-three minutes figuring out how a shower works before finally finding out what clean, hot water feels like.

 

He loses all sense of time as the hot water sprays against his back and he feels the tension drain out of his muscles for the first time since… forever. When he finally gets out of the shower the bathroom is full of what Carlos at first thinks is smoke but he quickly realizes is steam; it pours out into his dorm room and swirls around in hypnotizing patterns as it catches the light of the rising sun.

 

Carlos wanders over to the window, mesmerized by the rising sun as it paints the landscape below with light. The sunrises on the Isle never truly broke through the heavy clouds that consistently surround the Isle with their gloom and darkness. The sunrise in Auradon is different in every way; it slowly comes up and Carlos watches in awe as the world wakes up with it.

 

“Are ya always this sappy in ta mornin’?”

 

Carlos nearly jumps out of his skin as he spins around on none other than Harry Hook lounging on his spare bed. Carlos scrambles to throw on a shirt and a pair of boxers, uncomfortable with being in just a towel around Harry in any capacity.

 

“When did you come in?” Carlos hides behind his bed as he changes, much to Harry’s satisfaction.

 

“While ya were using all ta hot water in the building fer yar shower, love,” Harry purrs, sprawling out across the spare bed, “guess you were a little distracted by ta sunrise huh pup?”

 

Carlos manages a glare as he shugs into his jacket and pulls on his pants, although it does nothing to diminish the smug look that seems permanently stuck on Harry’s stupid face.

 

“ _Why_ are you here Harry,” Carlos huffs, leaning over to tie his shoes and batting Harry’s roaming hands off his ass in the process.

 

Harry sighs noisily behind him and he finds himself fighting the urge to punch him in his happy place.

 

“Well since ya asked so nicely pup,” Harry murmurs in his ear, moving to grab his hips and pull him closer, “Uma wants us all ta meet her and discuss our plans fer ta wand.”

 

Carlos pushes Harry off himself and strides over to the door, grabbing his bag on the way.

 

“Then what are we waiting for?”

 

With that he leaves the room, Harry prowling after him grin in full force.

 

***

 

“And I’ll remind you again, we don’t even know where the wand is!”

 

If looks could kill Carlos would be dead.

 

“Have you not been paying attention at all for the last hour, pup?”

 

Carlos glances up from his machine, making brief eye contact with Uma, “No, actually, I haven’t.”

 

“Honestly, why do we keep ta runt around anymore?”

 

“Cause he’s smarter than the rest of us combined?”

 

Carlos smiles smugly at Harry, “Thanks Gil.”

 

“Welcome ‘los!”

 

Uma huffs as she moves to sit in a chair, exasperation evident on her face. “Why couldn’t they have sent me over here with some people who aren’t brain dead?”

 

“Hey,” Harry shouts offended, sad puppy eyes staring at Uma.

 

Uma doesn’t give an inch, eyes boring into Harry who continues to pout at her.

 

“You all are bickering like a bunch of children instead of helping me plan!”

 

Harry looks personally offended by Uma’s words as if she isn’t telling the truth.

 

“I wasn’t actin like a child,” Harry pouts dramatically, foot scuffing the floor as he sulks.

 

“No more pouting,” Uma snaps, drawing the attention of all three boys.

 

“Now, I’ll go over this one last time, so pay attention!”

 

Carlos sits up straighter, eyes actually leaving his contraption for the first time this morning, begrudgingly paying attention. Harry stops pouting, which is a miracle in itself, eyes devoutly on Uma. Gil happily pays attention, seemingly the only one who is actually excited about this plan.

 

“As Carlos has oh so helpfully reminded us, we don’t know where the wand is, so that is step one.”

 

Carlos glances over at Gil and notices him scratching away on a notepad, tongue sticking out the side of his mouth and determination on his face.

 

“Are you taking notes,” Carlos whispers dumbfounded.

 

Gil glances his way, “Could be a quiz on this later, you never know with Uma, ‘los.”

 

Carlos holds in a laugh as he looks back up to where Uma is pacing in front of the desk, reminding Carlos of some kind of military leader preparing for battle.

 

“So, as we know the wand used to reside in the Museum of Cultural History before those dumbasses decided to steal it or should I say _attempted_ to steal it?” Smugness radiates from Uma as she proudly recounts Mal’s failure at retrieving the wand and Carlos can’t help but roll his eyes.

 

“Since then it’s been moved to who knows where?”

 

“Oh, oh, the Fairy Godmother! She’s who knows!” Gil proudly exclaims.

 

“That was rhetorical Gil,” Uma chastises causing Gil to pout as he morosely looks at his notes.

 

Carlos leans over to Gil, glancing at his notes before whispering in his ear.

 

“You got it right, buddy.”

 

Gil beams at him in response, showing all his teeth, eyes filled with happiness.

 

“Thanks ‘los.”

 

“If you guys are finished,” Uma’s irritation has seemed to reach its peak but Carlos being Carlos wants to see if he can push her just a little further.

 

“Actually,” Carlos starts flopping across Gil’s lap, “I wanted to talk to Gil about his hair care regimen because I’m loving what he’s doing with these golden locks.”

 

“Fish juice,” Gil states proudly, looking down at Carlos.

 

“Ew, seriously?”

 

“Mhmm. Just a little bit; gets your hair real glossy but you’ll have to figure out how to get of the smell yourself cause I haven’t gotten that far yet.”

 

“If you two are done!” This time Uma leaves no room for question and Carlos gives in, moving to get out of Gil’s lap.

 

“Okay, so the Fairy Godmother most likely has the wand. So how do you plan on learning exactly where she moved it to?”

 

“If you would shut up for two seconds puppy, I’m getting to that.”

 

Carlos mimes zipping his mouth shut, mouth curling into a slight smile despite Uma’s death glare.

 

“Harry and I obviously intimidate our little king so we’ll use that to our advantage.” Harry smiles ferally at this, obviously pleased with his contribution.

 

“Gil, you’re good at playing dumb and getting people to say things in front of you, use that.” Gil nods along, still taking notes.

 

“Finally, puppy, you’re cute and unassuming which makes adults instantly trust you. I want you to use that to your advantage, manipulate them into giving away anything and everything.”

 

“Yeah, I’ll just go right up to Fairy Godmother and be like ‘hey, so look at my cute lil freckles. Also since we’re on the topic of cute things, I was just wondering, where’s that famous wand at’ and she’ll melt and tell me everything.” Carlos rolls his eyes for what must be the hundredth time today and it’s only seven-thirty.

 

“Perfect,” Uma exclaims cheerily, “then we all know what we are supposed to be doing. Now, once we have the location of the wand we’ll move on to phase two.”

 

Uma shuffles some papers around on the table searching for a specific drawing when the door suddenly opens.

 

The four villains swivel their heads in unison, peering at the door with suspicion and faint concern. Dizzy meekly pokes her head into the room taking in their expressions before entering and quietly shutting the door behind her.

 

She is balancing three trays of varying foods in her hands and looks as if she is about to drop it all. Before Dizzy and the trays can topple to the ground Gil and Carlos hop up to help her with them, carrying them to the desk under Uma’s scornful gaze.

 

“Did I say you could come back?”

 

Dizzy shrinks back under Uma’s sharp tone and gaze. Dizzy splutters to answer but before she can get anything out, Carlos steps in front of her.

 

“Leave her alone.”

 

“Aww, would ya look at that? Ta runt is comin ta her defense, how cute!”

 

“Shut up, Harry.”

 

Everybody stares at Gil in utter befuddlement, not believing what just came out of his mouth. Judging by the look on Gil’s face, he didn’t expect it either.

 

“Did I say that out loud?”

 

Carlos slowly nods and Gil flushes bright red as he turns to look at Harry, opening his mouth to apologize.

 

“Look who finally grew a pair! I’m proud of ya lad.” Harry pulls Gil into a tight side hug and ruffles his hair good-heartedly. Gil looks a mixed of relieved and shocked, mouth hesitantly pulling into a smile.

 

A loud bell suddenly rings through the building causing the five villains to startle, glancing around the room for the source.

 

“Is that the school bell?”

 

“This place has a _school bell_?”

 

“Apparently.”

 

Carlos huffs reaching for some kind of biscuit off the food tray, “This place is weird as shit,” he mumbles crumbs falling out of his mouth in the process.

 

***

 

Carlos wanders down the seemingly endless maze of halls and corridors that Auradon Prep is comprised of. He comes to yet another four-way intersection and at this point it’s a coin toss that decides if he goes left, right, or straight. He glances down the three hallways attempting to deduce which one will lead him to the cafeteria.

 

Third period had just ended and Carlos was attempting to find where the food was at but somewhere between second and third period he had lost his map of the school. The campus is large enough that there should be maps posted at every intersection but obviously no one had given this building structure much forethought at all.

 

All the perfectly pink princesses and pretentiously proper princes that pass him in the hall seem to know exactly where they’re going, years of practice on their side as they navigate the halls with calculated ease. Of course he could ask one of these bozos where the cafeteria is but that would require actually communicating with one of them and Carlos had spent the whole morning tactfully avoiding just that. And he was very successful, thank you very much.

 

Ben wasn’t kidding when he had told Carlos and the rest of his group that their arrival hadn’t been announced like the last time. Nobody in the halls or in his classes seemed to notice him or pay him any attention at all, which was a huge relief if he was being honest. Even though Carlos stuck out like a sore thumb thanks to his abnormal hair and distinctive fashion sense nobody so much as gave him a second glance, Carlos accredited this to his unique ability to blend into any environment--a skill he had perfected living with Cruella.

 

He was also relieved to only have one close encounter with one of his former friends Evie in his second period Chemistry class; he had practically dove into the back row of desks when he spotted her but she was distracted by a scrawny guy wearing glasses. The rest of his classes so far were villain free—thank evil—and he hadn’t seen nor heard from any of them since this morning. Carlos hoped to keep up this streak for the rest of the day but he figured one of his classes would line up with someone he knew sooner or later.

 

Carlos takes another left, frustration beginning to creep up on him as he gets more lost. He’s about to swallow his damn pride and anxiety and approach one of these bubbly Auradonians when he is swiftly grabbed from behind, scream of surprise muffled by a gloved hand.

 

Carlos throws his elbow back forcefully but his perpetrators is quicker, shifting him out of reach just in time. He angrily chomps down at the hand that is still firmly placed over his mouth and is rewarded by a small groan of pain in his ear. Although instead of dropping him his attacker swings him around and unceremoniously slings him over his shoulder and Carlos is met with the unfortunately familiar sight of Harry Hook’s backside.

 

“Harry what the fuck are you doing? Put me down, people are going to stare!” Carlos struggles in his hold, unsuccessful in his attempts he gives up and hangs there blood rapidly rushing to his head.  

 

“Now why would I do that,” Harry coos as he roughly repositions Carlos, his shoulder blade now sharply digging into Carlos’ abdomen.

 

“Besides, I thought ya were a voyeurist.”

 

Carlos huffs, trying to get more comfortable in Harry’s hold to no avail.

 

“The word you’re looking for is exhibintionhist. Voyeurism is the act of watching, exhibitionism is the displaying.” Carlos doesn’t know why he bothers correcting him at this point, his intelligence is wasted in the company of Harry Hook.

 

“Potato, tomato, pup. Point is ya like the attention whether yar willing to admit it or not.”

 

Carlos doesn’t even bother arguing at this point, it would only serve to prove Harry’s statement by drawing more attention to the pair and they already have enough eyes on them as it is. Besides as the saying goes, never argue with someone stupid they’ll drag you down to their level and then beat you with experience.

 

Instead Carlos asks, “Where are we going, Hook?”

 

“Uma wanted us to all meet during lunch, evil schemes to plan and whatnot.”

 

“Of course she does.”

 

Carlos sighs, getting as comfortable as he can as Harry winds them through the corridors.

 

***

 

The bell rings and Carlos doesn’t think he’s ever been happier to hear any other sound in his life; one more class and he’s free. He glances down at his school schedule reading _Sixth Period: Remedial Goodness 101~ Room 407_. Logically Carlos knows that this class is going to have all the Isle kids in attendance—most likely only the Isle kids in attendance—but part of him still clings to the naive hope that remedial goodness is a normal Auradonian class.

 

Using his new map Carlos navigates the halls in record speed and ends up at the door to room 407 with five minutes to spare. He hovers outside the door, ears straining to pick up on the muted conversations going on inside. Before he is able to work up the nerve to go in, he hears heavy footsteps approaching from the opposite hallway.

 

Gil turns the corner spotting Carlos he breaks into a cheesy grin and approaches happily. Upon seeing the unease in Carlos’ features, he slows his stroll and stops right outside the door next to him.

 

“Everything okay ‘los?”

 

“Yeah, I just don’t know if I’m ready to do this.”

 

“You’re Carlos De vil, you can do anything.”

 

Carlos smiles at the genuinity in Gil’s words and the earnest smile on his face.

 

“Together?”

 

“Together.”

 

They are the last two to enter the room it seems.

 

Fairy Godmother is at the front of the classroom organizing her notes, mumbling to herself completely oblivious to the world around her. Carlos quickly spots Dizzy excitedly chattering away to Evie and Mal to the left, Jay barely paying attention as he looks at something on his phone.

 

Uma and Harry are lowly conversing in the back right, glancing at Mal and the others every now and then. When Uma notices him and Gil she motions them over, sliding their bags out of the way to make room.

 

Carlos is so focused on Jay and the three girls as he makes his way over to the table that he stumbles over his own feet and falls face first into the ground with a rather loud _thump_.

 

Carlos groans as Gil helps him off the floor, rubbing his sore--but thankfully not bloody--nose. As he brushes himself off he notices that all eyes are on him and he wants to shrink back under the immense attention.

 

“Are you quite alright, young man?” He knew that people here talked kinda different but he didn’t except Fairy Godmother’s voice to be so irritatingly perky.

 

“Yeah, I’m fine,” Carlos mumbles, straightening out his rumpled clothing.

 

And then he does the stupidest thing he has done since he arrived in Auradon; he looks over at his group of former friends and makes direct eye contact with Jay.

 

Jay nearly falls out of his chair when he sees him and Carlos takes that as his cue to sit down as quickly as possible. Unfortunately in his haste he sits right next to Harry and before he can move Gil is in the seat next to him.

 

“You okay ‘los?”

 

“Yeah, no, I’m fine.”

 

The bell rings signaling the start of class and Carlos feels relief flood him as everybody takes a seat. He can still feel the eyes of Jay and the two girls on him but he pushes it to the back of his mind.

 

“Okay, we’ll begin with some review today as we have some new students joining the class!” Fairy Godmother’s twinkling voice easily carries throughout the room and everybody turns their attention to her as she flits around in front of the chalkboard.

 

“Oh, before we begin a few ground rules. Young man, no feet on the desks.”

 

Carlos glances over to his right where Harry has nonchalantly propped his feet up on the table, chair leaned back so far he looks as if he’s about to fall.

 

“No problem, love,” Harry states as he heavily drops his legs directly into Carlos’ lap.

 

“Ow,” Carlos hisses at Harry under his breath, only getting a grin of acknowledgement in return. He grumpily shoves the offending feet off him as he hears Uma whisper, “We’re trying to impress them remember?”

 

Harry gives in with a huffed, “Fine” but still nudges Carlos under the desk with his foot prompting Carlos to elbow him sharply in the ribs, satisfied when that earns him a grunt.

 

Carlos fails to notice how Evie and Mal are having to hold Jay back from storming over to where him and Harry are bickering, too preoccupied with trying to subtly kick Harry’s chair out from under him.

 

“Boys, boys, I love all this enthusiasm but I’m gonna encourage you to use that in the Tourney field and not in the classroom.”

 

Harry and Carlos side-eye each other, befuddlement evident on both their faces.

 

“Ta hell is a _tourney field_?”

 

“I haven’t the faintest idea.”

 

Fairy Godmother taps her wooden pointer against the chalkboard, once again gaining the reluctant attention of the group.

 

“Alright, let’s start with question number one. If someone hands you a crying baby, do you;

A: Curse it? B: Lock it in a tower? C: Give it a bottle? Or D: Carve out it’s heart?” Fairy Godmother dramatically punctuates each option with vivid animation and Carlos can’t tell if she’s being serious or not.

 

Uma’s hand shoots up, face serious but Carlos can tell when somebody is up to no good and Uma is barely concealing one of her sinister smiles.

 

“Yes, Uma,” Fairy Godmother excitedly calls.

 

Carlos doesn’t miss the way that Mal’s head jerks back to stare at Uma when she’s called on.

 

“If someone hands me a crying baby, I’ll obviously hand it to Carlos,” Uma proudly states, charming smile pointed right at Carlos.

 

Harry bursts out laughing with Uma and Carlos can hear Gil trying to suppress laughter on his other side.

 

“Hey, screw you guys, that happened _one time_!”

 

“Nu-uh, it happened twice remember? The second time was when that one guy was f-”

 

Carlos stomps hard on Gil’s foot effectively cutting off whatever he was going to say but Harry is already staring at Carlos intrigued expression in his eyes so Carlos can’t quite count it as a win.

 

“Sorry,” Gil mumbles apologetically.

 

“Carlos, dear, we don’t use that kind of language here in Auradon,” Fairy Godmother obliviously chimes in, “and Uma that wasn’t quite right.”

 

“Ta be fair, Ms. Fairy Godmother ma’am, Carlos was practically runnin’ a daycare back on ta Isle.”

 

Carlos groans as Uma and Harry continue to snicker at him, and Fairy Godmother continues to be oblivious to the fact that they aren’t being serious. Or at least not _one-hundred percent_ serious.

 

“Oh, how charitable Carlos, now that’s true Auradonian compassion!”

 

“Would ya look at that pup, already fittin’ in!”

 

Carlos faceplants into the table with a dull thud and prays for death to consume him.

 

“Who else wants to give this a try,” Fairy Godmother kindly questions, directing everybody's attention back to the board.

 

“Carlos how about you dear?”

 

It doesn’t take a rocket scientist to figure out the answer that Fairy Godmother is looking for.

 

“C: Give it a bottle.”

 

“Wonderful Carlos, that is correct!”

 

Carlos slaps on a fake smile to try and match the enthusiasm that Fairy Godmother is radiating from every fiber of her being. When she turns back to the board to ask the next question, Carlos slumps and hopes that the rest of class goes by quickly.

 

***

 

Carlos watches the hypnotic tick and tock of the clock on the far wall, counting down the seconds until the bell rings and he can be rid of this dreaded classroom. Every second, every tick of the little hand, seems to take an eternity and Carlos feels as if he has been in this room forever.

 

He had spent the last hour staring at this clock and counting, participating when necessary or when Harry kicked him. He is zoned out thinking about his machine back in his room so when the final bell rings he nearly topples out of his chair.

 

He makes a mad dash for the door before anyone can stop him and in his haste he stupidly forgets his backpack. He turns around to go retrieve it from the classroom and runs directly into a wall of abs.

 

He nearly falls backward onto his ass but is luckily caught by his shirt, two strong arms pulling him up and face-to-face with none other than Jay.

 

“Thanks,” he mumbles, physically removing Jay’s hands from his shirt.

 

“Oh, sorry.” Jay blushes when Carlos removes his hands. “I just, I can’t believe you’re really here C.”

 

“Hey Carlos,” Evie says softly, peeking up from behind Jay, “you forgot this in class.”

 

Evie steps around Jay to hand Carlos his bag, a smile breaking out on her face as he takes it. Mal comes up behind the two of them, smile matching Jay and Evie’s.

 

“Hey Carlos, it’s good to see you. Ben said you all were coming over soon but we weren’t sure exactly when and no amount of pestering or bribing him would get him to reveal it.”

 

Carlos slowly looks from Jay to Evie to Mal, realizing that he is supposed to be saying something back to them but he can’t seem to get his mouth to work.

 

“Right,” he finally manages, still staring dumbly at the three of them.

 

It seems to be enough for Jay though because he breaks out into an even bigger grin as soon as the word leaves Carlos’ mouth.

 

“Oh, dude, I don’t even know what to say to you it’s been so long! I mean, you look so different, like you’ve grown eight inches.”

 

Carlos nods a little, not bothering to correct Jay.

 

“You all look different too,” Carlos comments dryly, boot scuffing the floor nervously.

 

“They sure do look different, don’t ya think lass?”

 

Carlos feels both relief and panic as Harry, Uma, and Gil come up behind him meeting Mal, Jay, and Evie head on.

 

“You know,” Uma starts dramatically polite, “the four of us were just talking about your hair last night Mal! Really love what you’ve done with it, bleach is the new black!”

 

The trio tense slightly at Uma’s words but Auradon must have had some sort of magic spell on them because they don’t go to blows.

 

“And I just _adore_ your lil braids shrimpy, so cute!”

 

Harry holds Uma back as she starts to take a step forward and Carlos is dumbfounded that he is the one to have self-control in this situation.

 

“Remember ta long game, love,” he whispers in her ear, effectively causing her to calm down and merely glare at Mal instead of punching the condescending look of her face.

 

Jay reaches out to grab Carlos’ attention but Carlos flinches before he can get anywhere close, ingrained reaction muddling his brain before he realizes that it wasn’t meant as a threat.

 

“Uh, C, why don’t we go somewhere else and catch up,” Jay inquires, eyes carefully cataloging Harry’s every move.

 

“No,” Carlos says before he can even think about it.

 

Uma smiles deliciously behind him causing Mal to glare at her.

 

“Come one Carlos, you don’t have to hang out with them anymore,” Mal states and damn if that voice doesn’t make Carlos want to go against everything she says.

 

“No,” Carlos states again, firmer this time, looking Mal directly in the eye.

 

“What’s gotten into you,” Mal asks, clearly offended.

 

“I waited,” Carlos spits at them, rapidly losing his indifferent facade.

 

The trio of reformed villain kids automatically take a step back from the venomous words that their former friend sends their way.

 

“I _waited_ ,” he repeats voice cracking, “for thirty days. Four weeks. Seventy-two hours. It took me forty-three-thousand-two-hundred minutes to realize that you weren’t coming back for me. It was a naive little _child_ that you left on that forsaken rock, but I am _not_ that same little boy… and I _don’t_ need _you_ anymore.”

 

With that Carlos spins on his heel and hurries down the corridor before the tears that burn his eyes can fall. The trio is left in stunned shock at the sudden change in Carlos, never having seen this side of him before.

 

“Harry.” Uma nods towards Carlos’ retreating back, and like the obedient first-mate he is, Harry strides down the hallway to catch up to him.

 

“Looks like the puppy found new masters,” Uma sneers turning to Mal, delighting in the flash of green she receives for her efforts.

 

“Don’t call him that,” Mal grinds out, jaw clenched so tight it is a miracle she doesn’t break something.

 

“Aw, looks like I hit a nerve,” Uma pouts, “sad that the little nerd is no longer yours to control?”

 

“Carlos isn’t anybodies _property_ Uma!”

 

It’s Jay who speaks up now, face red and eyes dark, the only thing holding him back being Evie’s tight grasp on his forearm.

 

“Careful Jay, wouldn’t want to ruin that goody-goody reputation you have.” She pats Jay on the arm, right over Evie’s hand, for good measure.

 

“I swear to god if you hurt him-”

 

“Please Mal, the pup is _ours_ now. And I don’t mistreat _my_ things.”

 

Uma steps into Ma’s face, tucking a stray strand of her hair behind her ear, and whispers.

 

“I also don’t share, so stay away from me and mine.”

 

With a feral smirk she turns and strides down the hall in the same way that Carlos and Harry had gone minutes before.

 

The three VKs all release a collective breath, deflating now that Uma was out of sight. A small cough has the trio all whipping their heads to the right, noticing that Gil has remained.

 

Gil glances at them meekly before quietly speaking, “Carlos was in real bad shape when he realized you guys weren’t coming back.”

 

When nobody replies to him, Gil knowingly nods to himself before departing down the hallway after the rest of his posse.

 

“What the hell happened to Carlos after we left him?” Jay utters, staring down the hallway.

 

Nobody answers.

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Favorite Word of the Chapter~ [Exhibitionist](https://www.google.com/search?client=firefox-b-1-ab&ei=H0CQW4vrL9W_0PEPyJ6-4Aw&q=venom+definition&oq=venom+d&gs_l=psy-ab.1.0.0i20i263j0i131j0j0i20i264j0l6.1686.4436..5507...0.0..0.59.351.7......0....1..gws-wiz.......0i71j35i39j0i10j0i67j0i131i20i264j0i3.-68-5ZZ0Jc0#dobs=exhibitionist)
> 
> All comments, questions, and constructive criticism welcome!


End file.
